


Here's Looking at You, Hermione

by saturdaychild29



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-19
Updated: 2017-03-19
Packaged: 2018-10-07 12:29:46
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,695
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10360542
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/saturdaychild29/pseuds/saturdaychild29
Summary: Seamus and Hermione on St. Patrick's Day, because I'm shameless.





	

**Author's Note:**

> The cycle of midterms and madness has come to an end! So, I wrote this yesterday (and part of today) to celebrate. I'm planning to update my other story soon. It has a chapter ready - but I'm not completely in love with it yet.
> 
> Also, I suck at writing sex scenes. Really, I do. So, if I can weasel my way out of doing it, I will. 
> 
> Anyway, I own nothing! If there are some quotes that sound familiar, that's because I stole them from Casablanca. :-)

****

“Bet you won’t.”  Dean challenged.

“Bet I will.”  Seamus countered.

The two were seated at a Muggle bar.  Around them, lively music played, but neither was quite drunk enough to appreciate the antics of the partygoers around them.

“Alright, then.”  Dean continued.  “Next girl to walk in.  Deal?”

“Deal.”  The two shook on it.

They didn’t have long to wait.  “Ronald Weasley!”  A very familiar voice yelled.  “You promised Luna that you’d wait for her this evening!  You _knew_ she had a deadline at the Quibbler tonight that she was frantically working toward and yet, here you are without so much as a by your leave.  Poor Luna thought you were still at the office with Harry until Ginny texted us, wondering where we were!”  In strode a very upset Hermione Granger, followed by a serene, but disappointed-looking Luna. 

The latter was dressed in green, from head-to-toe and appeared to be wearing a shiny, upside down shamrock on her head.  The former didn’t seem to have bothered much with St. Patrick’s Day festivities.  The only clue that she was celebrating at all was a simple strand of green beads which she wore over a knee length black dress.

The object of Hermione’s rage had the decency to look abashed.  “Sorry, ‘Mione!”  He started.  It was the wrong move.  “The match got moved up and I didn’t want to miss anything.  Harry said-”

“No, don’t ‘Harry said’ and don’t apologize to me.  Apologize to Luna.  She was worried about you, thinking you’d gotten caught up in some kind of Auror drama.”  Hermione shot Ron a death glare. 

“It’s okay, Hermione.  I’m feeling much better now,” Luna attempted to be the peacemaker.

Hermione was not so easily dissuaded.

“No, Luna.  You are both my friends and _one_ of you seems to be taking the other one for granted.”  At this, Hermione continued to glare daggers at Ron.  “Luna made you a late dinner, thinking that you hadn’t had a chance to eat with your workload.  A dinner that she and I enjoyed in your absence.”  She added.

“I think I’ll wait a minute.”  Seamus whispered to Dean as the two watched the fireworks unfold.

Dean nodded, not tearing his eyes away.  “You know, she’s kinda hot when she’s angry.”  Dean whispered. 

“Don’t let Parvati hear you say that.”  Seamus reminded his friend.

“She and Padma are on holiday with their family.  If she can hear me from India, well, then I’ve got bigger problems.”  Dean whispered.

Seamus shrugged as both awaited what was sure to be a stunning defense from Ron.

“How many words do you think she’ll let him get out?”  He asked instead.

“None.”  Dean responded.

“I don’t know, I think she’ll let him talk enough to get himself in trouble.”  Seamus countered as the two continued to watch the drama unfold.

“I didn’t mean to-” Ron promptly faltered under Hermione’s harsh gaze.  Muttering something that might’ve been an apology, he led Luna to a booth that he, Harry and Ginny had commandeered.

Luna looked back at Hermione.  “Are you coming?”  She asked hopefully.

“In a minute.”  Hermione responded.  “I’ll grab the two of us a drink.”

“Would you mind grabbing me a beer too?”  Ron asked hopefully.

Hermione narrowed her eyes and Luna nudged him.  “I’ll share mine.”  She whispered quietly.

Upon hearing this, Hermione made a mental note to order Luna and herself a Guinness—knowing full well that it was the one beer that Ron could not stand—but that the two of them loved.

As luck would have it, Hermione’s quest for alcohol brought her right next to Seamus and Dean. 

“Of all the gin joints in all the towns, in all the world, she walks into mine.”  Seamus announced, grinning.

Not expecting to see someone else she knew, Hermione jumped before looking over at the speaker.  “Casablanca.”  She nodded appreciatively.  “Have to admit, I didn’t expect you to be familiar with Muggle movies.”

“Why not?”  Seamus challenged as he sipped his beer.  “I’m half Muggle, aren’t I?”

“And a full pain in the ass.”  Dean added.  “I’ll have you know, I introduced him to that cinematic masterpiece.” He said, eying Hermione.

Hermione snorted. “I’m not sure I’d call the blatant misogyny a masterwork.”

“Now, that’s just hurtful.”  Seamus pretended to pout.  “It was a different time.”  He defended.

Hermione ignored him when the bartender approached and she placed her order.

“Guinness, huh?”  Seamus tried again.

“Do you have a hearing problem?”  Dean asked his friend.

“Don’t you have somewhere else to be?”  Seamus retorted.  “Isn’t Parvati expecting a Facetime soon?”  He asked meaningfully.

“Time difference, Mate.”  Dean said, grinning.  “She’d be right pissed if I rang her at 4am.”

Hermione raised an eyebrow.  “Am I interrupting something?”  She asked curiously as she looked between Seamus and Dean.

“No,” Dean said at the same time as Seamus said, “Yes.”

Hermione laughed.  “Well, which is it?”  She asked as she took a sip of her Guinness and handed the bartender her card to start a tab.

“Well, see-” Seamus started to explain before Dean elbowed him.  _You can’t explain the terms_ , his actions seemed to suggest.

Seamus glowered at Dean, but tried yet again.  “Nevermind that.” He said, turning back to Hermione.  “Haven’t seen you in ages.  What brings you out on this wonderful day of celebration?”  He asked, nodding toward a few of the bar patrons who had to be escorted off of one of the center tables.  Apparently, they had thought river-dancing in a crowded bar was acceptable.  Management had fervently disagreed, leading the lot of them outside.

“Well, you know how much I love being a fifth wheel.”  Hermione grinned wryly as she gestured vaguely toward the booth where Harry, Ginny, Ron and Luna were now laughing away.  It seemed that all was forgiven between Luna and Ron.  Then again, that was probably why Hermione and Ron had never worked out.  Luna was far more understanding and patient than she was.

“Probably about as much as Dean and I are enjoying sitting by ourselves up here.”  Seamus gestured to the seat to his left.  “You’re welcome to join.  Right now, we’re just critiquing our fellow patrons.”

Hermione rolled her eyes.  “As fun as that sounds, I should get back.  I promised Luna a beer.”  She gestured toward the second glass.

Seamus noticed that her glass was already empty.  He also noticed that Hermione’s table seemed to getting on just fine without her.  He looked at Hermione and winked in what he hoped was a slightly seductive fashion.  “It would be a shame to walk back there without a beer of your own.  Let me buy the next one?”  He asked.

“I couldn’t.”  Hermione started, but Seamus waved her off.  “I insist.  What are the chances of running into you, amidst everyone and their mum out celebrating tonight?”  He asked.

“Even so, I’d feel bad just leaving, after you bought me a beer.”  Hermione continued.

“Then don’t.”  Seamus’ grin widened.  “I mean, sure, bring Luna her beer, but I can promise that you won’t be a fifth wheel here.  I mean with Dean here being practically whipped as far as Parvati is concerned and me being single—well, I’m not sure we’ve got any wheels happening.”

Hermione stared at Seamus, “but you and Lavender?”  She asked

“Er, Lavender kind of has a thing for Quidditch players.”  Seamus began awkwardly.

“I thought you played on a recreational team.”  Hermione said confused.

Dean about choked on his beer and Seamus shot him a particularly nasty look.  “What Seamus is trying to say is that Lavender has a thing for Quidditch players— _female_ Quidditch players.  Last I heard, she was dating Alicia Spinnet.” Dean clarified.

Seamus decided to focus on the more uplifting part of the conversation.  “How’d you know I was on a club team?” He asked curiously as the bartender brought Hermione her second Guinness of the night.

Hermione felt herself redden.  “Ginny might’ve mentioned it.  I think she was trying to get Ron to try out.  He and Harry both need hobbies beyond their jobs.”  Hermione finished quickly.  “Anyway, I’d best be heading back.”

“Will I see you later tonight?”  Seamus asked, hopefully.

Hermione smirked. “I never make plans that far ahead.”

~

It didn’t seem long before Dean headed home.  “I haven’t talked to Parvati in a few days and she does want to Facetime in the morning, her time.  So, I should probably get some sleep beforehand.  You going to be okay here?”  He asked.

Seamus nodded.

“Don’t forget the bet.”  Dean reminded him.

“Wouldn’t dream of it.”  Seamus returned. 

“And you have to be honest.  If you fail, you’ve got to own up and face whatever dare I come up with.  And, with Parvati gone, I have plenty of free time to get creative.”  Dean’s eyes sparkled dangerously.

“Yeah, yeah. I get the point.”  Seamus rolled his eyes, wondering how he was only on his fourth beer of the night.  Then again, he and Dean had done a few shots earlier.  So, that could be it.  He looked back at Dean.  “Don’t let me keep you from your beauty sleep.  Don’t know if you’ve looked in a mirror lately, but you might need it.”

“Says the guy who looks like he has a permanent sunburn.”  Dean retorted.

“I’m ruggedly handsome.”

“Seamus, I think that’s the alcohol talking.”  Dean shook his head one last time before heading out.

~

Seamus didn’t have long to contemplate Dean’s words, however.  “Is this seat still open?”  A familiar voice asked, gesturing to the seat beside Seamus.

“Yep, but I might be a bit less sober than when you left me.”  He acknowledged, turning to face the brunette witch.

The normally serious Hermione giggled.  “That makes two of us.”  She smiled at him.  “The next round is on me!”  She announced a little louder than perhaps necessary.

Seamus turned to stare at Hermione’s flushed face.  “Er, maybe you ought to slow down?”  He asked, concernedly.

“Nonsense, I’ve only had three.”  Hermione defended.

Seamus realized he hadn’t noticed her getting a third. He wondered when that had been.  “How often do you drink?”  He asked carefully, wondering if perhaps he shouldn’t have bought her the second earlier.

“Very infrequently.”  Hermione answered.  “So, all the more reason for another round!” She repeated with the same level of enthusiasm.  “Besides, this is a special occasion!”

Seamus raised an eyebrow.  “You never seemed this excited about St. Patrick’s Day when we were at Hogwarts.”  He eyed her suspiciously.  “Have I missed something?”  He asked.

“No. I just had other things to worry about at school.”  Hermione said.  “And, I wasn’t potentially without a place to sleep for the night due to improved relations between two of my closest friends.”  She muttered as an afterthought.

“Ron and Luna?”  Seamus asked questioningly, noting that the red-head and blonde seemed to be all over one another.  Ginny and Harry were nowhere to be found. 

“Yep.”  Hermione popped the last syllable rather matter-of-factly.  “Luna and I are roommates.  I’m really happy for Luna and Ron and all, but it’s still a bit weird to be around when things happen between those two.  Well, and neither of them are particularly quiet.  Bless their hearts.”  She noted. “I’ve been single for too long.”  She muttered under her breath.

Seamus doubted that she’d intended for him to hear the last part of her statement.  Either way, he was instantly grateful that he lived alone.  Unfortunately, this led him to another thought which his not entirely-sober-self had no qualms about sharing.  “You could stay with me tonight?”  He offered.

When Hermione looked up at him curiously, Seamus felt himself needing to explain.  “I didn’t mean like that.  I just meant, so you didn’t have to listen to sex sounds—and you don’t drink yourself into a stupor in the meantime.”  He grinned.  “I’m not familiar with drunk Hermione, but I don’t think sober Hermione would be particularly thrilled with her drinking habits.

“Sober Hermione needs to live a little.”  Hermione announced grandly, but ignoring the other parts of his statement.  “Now, another round?”  She repeated for a third time.

“On two conditions.”  Seamus decided.  “One, that you order a water too and two, that you let me take you home tonight—either to your place or mine.  You may have apparated here, but I don’t think you apparating back in the near future is a good idea.  No funny business, I just want you to get home safely.”  He said.

“Agreed.”  Hermione extended her hand and shook Seamus’ hand rather dramatically.  “Now, beer?”  She asked hopefully, as she watched Ron and Luna stagger out together.

“Beer.”  Seamus agreed.

~

“I just don’t understand.  I’m cute.  I’m smart.  What’s wrong with me?”  Hermione asked.  She and Seamus were still seated at the bar and it was fast-approaching last call.

“And modest, you forgot modest.”  Seamus added cheekily.

“Shut up.”  Hermione smacked him lightly.  “At least you have girls fawning all over you.”

Seamus pretended to look around.  “Where?”

“Well, maybe not tonight, but usually,” Hermione amended before taking a sip of what Seamus had already decreed was to be her last beer.

She and Seamus each closed their tabs and headed into the cold night.  “Where to, m’lady?”  Seamus asked with an elaborate bow.

“Can we go to your place?”  Hermione asked.  “Ron likes to make pizza when he gets drunk—but he often forgets that the oven doesn’t just turn itself off when it’s done.  So, 50% of the time, he sets off the fire alarm and I really don’t want to have to apologize to Mrs. Manderburn for the third time this month.”

Seamus laughed. “And here I was thinking food was a good idea.  Do you trust me to cook and not burn my own apartment down?”

“Yes.”  Hermione huffed.  “You actually know what you’re doing around Muggle appliances.”  She said, folding her arms meaningfully.

“And how would you know that?”  Seamus asked, his curiosity growing.

“Well, you are a world-famous chef, aren’t you?”  Hermione asked.

“I wouldn’t go that far, but I do cook from time to time.”

“Luna and Ron went to your restaurant a while back and spoke highly of it.”

Seamus nodded.  “I thought I recognized them last month.  But, you haven’t?”  He asked.

“Never had anyone to go with.”  Hermione said.

“Never took you for the type of person afraid to be seen doing her own thing.”  Seamus mused.

“I’m not.”  Hermione said defensively.  “But, Rita Skeeter has enough on me, without adding fuel to fire.  If men are single, they’re considered ‘eligible bachelors.’  If women are single, the headlines are decidedly less forgiving.  I’m already getting enough grief from my parents.  I don’t need the Wizarding World’s two knuts too.”

“Well, I’m sure if you stopped in—and didn’t want to eat alone—I’m sure the rest of the kitchen could handle things for a little while.”  Seamus smiled.

“Seamus Finnigan.  Are you asking me on a date?”  Hermione asked, her eyes fluttering up to his.

“Depends on what your answer is.”  Seamus grinned.  “Maybe I should ask you once you’ve sobered up a bit more."

“No, sober Hermione would just make a lame excuse like, ‘I have to take Crookshanks for a walk,’ or ‘degnome the garden’ on whichever day you asked.”  Hermione paused.  “And, sober Hermione will be very displeased upon learning that I’ve told you that.”

“I won’t tell if you won’t?”  Seamus asked. Even if Hermione was starting to sober up, it was still interesting to see her with fewer inhibitions.  He hadn’t known her that well in Hogwarts, but part of that was because she’d always had some sort of wall up.  Short of Ron and Harry, he hadn’t known many to get close to her over the years.

Hermione shrugged. “I suppose it’s not that big of a deal.”  She noticed that Seamus had stopped walking.  “Is this your apartment?”  She gestured to an older looking building on their right. 

“Yep.”  Seamus said.  “I’m on the third floor.  We can take the elevator, but every now and again, the blasted thing gets stuck between floors.  So, it may be better to walk, if you don’t mind.”

Hermione shook her head. “No, I’m feeling a bit less out-of-sorts.  I think I can handle a few stairs—especially if there’s a promise of food at the end.”

Seamus nodded.  “There is.  What are you hungry for?”

“I know it’s St. Patrick’s Day and all, but I could really go for some pasta.”  Hermione said. “Ooh!  Or, maybe pancakes.”  She decided.

“Those are two very different things.”  Seamus said, laughing.

“Good thing I have three flights of stairs to think about it.”  Hermione grinned.

~

“So, what were you and Dean talking about earlier, anyway?”  Hermione asked.  The two were sat at a tiny table in the breakfast nook of Seamus’ apartment.  They had decided on a rather simple meal of pancakes and sausage.  Seamus did promise to actually cook Hermione a more promising meal on a day of her choosing, later in the week.

“It was stupid, really.”  Seamus said.  “Don’t think you’d like me particularly much afterwards either if I told you.”

Hermione folded her arms and stared at the Irish man.  “Well, now you _have_ to tell me.”  She said, before stuffing another sausage into her mouth.

Seamus cursed his big mouth. 

“Dean was betting me that I wouldn’t ask out the next girl who walked through the door at the bar earlier.”

Hermione seemed to put two and two together.  “Is that why you offered to take me on a date on the walk home?”  She asked softly.  “I was the one who walked through the bar next, wasn’t I?”  Her fork fell back to her plate with a clatter, but she didn’t seem to notice.  “You were just bidding your time, waiting to ask me for a stupid bet.”

Seamus noticed something like hurt creeping onto her face.

“No!”  He said quickly.  “Well, yes.”  He paused. “I mean, I was going to ask whoever walked through the door, but I wasn’t expecting it to be you when I made the bet.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”  Hermione’s expression was quickly replaced by confusion.

“I just meant that it’s different when it’s someone you know and care about.  Once I realized that it was you, I was fully prepared to just do whatever stupid dare Dean came up with—and trust me, he’s come up with some doozies over years.”

“But you did ask me on a date?”  Hermione prodded. “So, obviously, you weren’t _too_ concerned.”

Seamus sighed. “This was what I was afraid of—and why I didn’t ask you initially. I didn’t want you to think my asking was related to a stupid bet.”

“And I’m supposed to believe that why?  You did have a bit of reputation of saying the right things at Hogwarts to get dates and then some.”  Hermione said, skeptically.  “Lavender, Padma, Ginny, Hannah,” Hermione continued to rattle off names.  “Merlin, your reputation was second only to Draco Malfoy’s.”

“Hermione Granger.”  Seamus sighed.  She was not going to make this easy for him.  Of that much, he was sure.   “Yes, I went on dates, but unlike Draco, that’s _all_ I did.”  He stressed.  “I probably got whatever reputation you heard about after I broke up with Hannah.  She was really nice, but we just didn’t have anything in common and I saw our relationship going strictly toward the physical.  She told me that she was okay with that, but we both knew that she wasn’t.  I got the sense that she was hoping that we’d magically connect after that, but I don’t really see things that way.  You either like someone or you don’t.  If you force it, it’s never going to work out the way you want.  So, I broke up with her, because I didn’t want either of us to be hurt down the road.  As you might expect, she didn’t take it well.” 

Hermione sighed.  “So, assuming that I believe all this, why did you ask me out?  You may not have noticed, but we don’t exactly have much in common.”  She started. 

“Don’t we?”  Seamus asked.

Hermione waited for him to continue.

“Well, let’s see.”  Seamus pretended to think.  “You’re single.  I’m single. That seems like a good start.”

Hermione rolled her eyes.  “That’s hardly a reason to ask someone out.”

“Well, neither of us have a particularly good sense of humor.”  Seamus winked.  When Hermione simply snorted, he continued.  “We both have ties to the Muggle community and use it as an escape when we don’t want to deal with the goings on of the Wizarding World.”  At Hermione’s quirked eyebrow, he explained.  “Yes, I’ve followed your career about as closely as you seem have followed mine.  Congratulations on your archeology degree, by the way.”

“Thank you,” Hermione said softly.

“Anyway, we’re both stubborn and have a bit of a temper.  I’d also like to think that maybe we’re both a touch sentimental.”  Seamus finished.

“You got all that from tonight?”  Hermione asked, still a bit skeptical.

“No,” Seamus said honestly.  “But, I did go to school with you. You know, you had quite the group of admirers back there.”

Hermione rolled her eyes at the last part.  “Yeah, sure.”  She said.

Seamus shook his head.  “I’m serious.”

Hermione just stared at him. 

Seamus continued, before she could gape at him further.  “Hard as that might be to believe.  Plenty of guys liked you.  However, the same lot didn’t particularly want to be taken to task by a very stubborn Ronald Weasley.  I might add that nearly everyone in the school thought you two were dating.”

“We never…” Hermione started.

“Well, yes, I know that _now_.”  Seamus laughed.  “Anyway,” he changed the subject abruptly as he yawned for what seemed like the millionth time. “I don’t know about you, but I’m getting tired.”  He handed her a full glass of water.  “Drink a bit more before you go to bed.  Later this morning, you’ll be really glad you did.  As for accommodations, there’s not much.  I just have the one bed, but I’ve also got a sleeper sofa that I can fix up pretty nicely.  I’d offer you my bed and take the sofa myself, but my room’s a bit messy since I wasn’t expecting guests.”

“I’d hate for you to go to all that trouble, when I all but invited myself here.”  Hermione said.

“Well, the only other option is sharing my bed.”  Seamus said, feeling himself growing a bit warm—and it wasn’t the alcohol.

Hermione shrugged. “Okay.”

Seamus’ eyebrows shot up to his forehead.  “Okay?”  He asked. “I could’ve sworn you were going to murder me about a minute ago…”  He started. “Really, I can set up the sleeper sofa, if you want…”

“Are you saying you don’t want to share a bed with me?”  Hermione asked.

_Damnit._ There was not a safe answer to that question, Seamus realized. He sighed.  “Are you sure?” He asked instead.

“I’m sleepy.”  Hermione yawned.  “Your bed is the fastest avenue to bedtime.”

~

“Just sleep.”  Seamus repeated to himself.  It shouldn’t be that hard.  Both of them had had a bit to drink and just when he thought Hermione was sober, she’d had no qualms about sharing his bed.  Then again, he had a feeling that he and Hermione had spent similar amounts of time without another to share their bed.  Maybe she had sobered up. _Nope, better to be safe than sorry_ , he finally decided.

He could hear her in the other room getting changed.  He had offered to loan Hermione a pair of pajama pants and a t-shirt so that she wouldn’t have to sleep in her dress all night.

“Are you decent?”  He called out, once he’d changed and washed up for the evening.

“Yes.”  Hermione said, presumably from under the covers. Seamus could barely make out her form from underneath all the blankets.

As soon as he carefully pulled the covers back, Seamus realized that he and Hermione had very different definitions of decent.  She was wearing his pajama bottoms, but had apparently decided against the shirt.  So, there she was curled up in a little ball, with pajama pants and a bra—a bra that was very flattering.

Inwardly, Seamus cursed.  This was going to be a long night.

“Hermione,” he asked carefully.  “Did you want a shirt?”

“No, thank you. Your room is rather warm.”  She murmured sleepily.

Seamus sighed and rolled over, preparing for sleep.  “Just promise me that sober Hermione won’t kick my ass in the morning?”  Seamus asked, as he settled on his side of the bed.

“Considering that sober Hermione is lying in your bed right now, I’d say your odds of survival are pretty good.”  Hermione was instantly pressed against Seamus’ back, her breath warm on his neck.

Seamus turned around, to quirk an eyebrow.  He found himself nose to nose with a grinning Hermione.  “Hermione, you’re not yourself right now.  Let’s just go to bed.” He muttered regretfully. His sixteen year-old self was kicking him.

“Yes, I am!”  Hermione said adamantly.  “I haven’t had a beer in ages.”

Seamus sighed, deciding to humor her assertion.  “Sober or not, I’m not a one-night stand kind of guy.  And, from what I know about you, I don’t think you’re a one-night stand kind of girl.”

“I’m not.”  Hermione said, instantly defensive. “I just want to cuddle.”  She said innocently.

Seamus raised an eyebrow. “Oh really?”  He asked.

“Yes.”  Hermione said.

Seamus knew he was going to regret the next words out of his mouth.  “How about a compromise?”  He asked.  “We ask each other questions.  If you still want to cuddle after that, then we can.”

“But, I’m sleepy!”  Hermione whined.

“Okay.  Then let’s go to sleep.”  Seamus said.

“Okay,” Hermione nudged up against him again.

“Hermione, I’m not going to have you hate me in the morning.”  Seamus said patiently, even while other parts of him were quite content with the developing situation. “What’s your happiest memory?”  He asked instead, while she settled a little further away from him.  

“Getting selected as Head Girl.  My parents were so proud of me.” Hermione said.  She seemed to have temporarily given up on her cuddling efforts.  “Or, maybe visiting Disney World with my parents when I was younger.  Or, maybe getting my Hogwarts letter. It’s hard to pick just one.  How about you?”  She asked.

“Actually, being able to put my pyrotechnics skills to good use for once.”  Seamus said, remembering the battle at Hogwarts.  “That’s second only to opening my own restaurant.  Now, you have to ask me a different question.”

Hermione paused to think.  “Why cooking?”  She asked finally.

“Why not cooking?”  Seamus countered.

Hermione scoffed.  “I don’t know the rules to this game, but I don’t think that’s a proper answer.”

Seamus turned back around to look at her.  “You’re right.  I just wanted a break from the magical world—and I’m a pretty big fan of food. Maybe not as big of a fan as Ron, but still, it’s up there.”

Hermione laughed.  “No one loves food as much as Ron.”

“Why did you show up to bar tonight?” Seamus asked.

“Mostly to give Ron a hard time.”  Hermione admitted.  “I’d planned on staying in, like I usually do, but Luna was feeling down and I felt like the least I could do was go out for a bit with her.  Plus, we both know Luna wasn’t going to yell at Ron for being a git.”  She shook her head.  “That woman has the patience of a saint.”  She sighed heavily.

“How are you still single after all this time?”  Hermione asked.

Seamus shrugged.  “Probably the same reason you are.  Never really found the right person.  I’ve only ever dated a few people and it’s never quite seemed to work out.  Maybe I’m just bad with commitment.”

Hermione feigned shock.  “You?”

Seamus rolled his eyes.  “You know, I said it before, the rumors aren’t all true—and I am perfectly capable of committing to the right person.”  He paused.  “It’s just, I’m kind of an all-or-nothing kind of guy. If I’m going to commit, then I’m all in.”

Hermione nodded appreciatively.  “The world needs more of that.  What made you decide to stay in England, instead of going back to Ireland after school?”  She asked.

“That’s two questions in a row.”  Seamus reminded her.  Upon seeing her pouting face, he relented.  “But, I’ll allow it.   It was strangely easier to start a restaurant up here.  I mean, it wasn’t a walk in the park, but there was more of a demand, and as luck would have it, I found a space that I could actually afford a few years ago.  I looked in Ireland too, believe me.  It just didn’t work out and I really didn’t want to go home with my tail between my legs before I’d found something.”

Hermione nodded.  “It feels different living with family, when you get older.  It just doesn’t feel like home anymore.”  She said.

“How about you?  What are you going to do now that you’ve got a heap ton of N.E.W.T.S. and a Muggle degree?”  Seamus asked curiously.

“Well, I’m still doing consulting work for the Ministry.”  Hermione started. “I might like to go on some actual archeological digs, maybe see the world a bit.  I feel a bit out-of-touch though.  It seems like everyone else is past that point and ready to be settling down.  Like we’re all playing music chairs, trying to find someone to end up with, but I’m all alone when the music stops.”

Seamus knew that feeling all too well.  “It doesn’t help when it comes up at every family gathering.”  He shook his head.  “I’ve committed a grave injustice, you know, what with depriving my poor mother of grandchildren.”

“Sounds like your mum and mine would have loads to talk about.”  Hermione sighed.

“You know, we could kill two birds with one stone.”  Seamus smirked.

“I’m not going to lie to my mum!”  Hermione said.

Seamus raised an eyebrow.  “Who said anything about lying?”  He asked innocently. 

Hermione chose that moment to realize her proximity to Seamus and her state of undress.  “I suppose I should have put on a shirt.  Sorry.”  She said, blushing.

“Well, I don’t have to worry about your sobriety anymore.”  Seamus grinned.  “Although, I have to say, the view is pretty nice.”

“Seamus!”  Hermione exclaimed.

“What?  I’m human.”  Seamus defended.  “So, a date?”

Hermione was feeling strangely brave.  “Well, you have got me in your bed.”  She smirked. “Are you sure that’s all you want?”

Seamus growled.  “Hermione, that’s not nice.”

“What?”  She asked curiously.

“I’m trying really hard to be a gentleman right now.”  Seamus said.

“Yes, I see how hard you’re trying.”  Hermione motioned toward Seamus’ lower half.

Seamus nearly bit his tongue so hard he drew blood.  “Hermione.” He warned.  “I don’t want to do anything that either of us will regret in the morning.”

“I won’t regret it.”  Hermione said.  “Will you?”  She asked curiously.

“I told you.  I don’t do things halfway.”  Seamus said.  “I don’t want to start something, if it’s going to end tomorrow morning.

“It won’t.”  Hermione promised.   “You still owe me a date, anyway.”

Seamus smiled.  “Only if you’re sure.”  He said.

“I am.”

Seamus drew Hermione closer and kissed her, almost hesitantly, before deepening his kiss.  He felt her respond almost immediately.  She broke the kiss to pull his shirt over his head.  Seamus felt his insides warm.  He gently tugged off her pajama pants, while kicking off his own. 

He was just wondering if perhaps he was going too fast, when he found himself on his back, Hermione pressed up against him, softly grinding against him.  He broke off their kiss, gasping for air.  “Maybe we should slow down, Love.”

“Why?”  Hermione whispered.  Her breath sending tingles down his chest.

With his blood pounding, Seamus found that he couldn’t think of a good reason.  Instead, he busied himself with undoing Hermione’s bra.  The bugger was bloody difficult, but he finally got it off.  He nipped one of her breasts playfully and felt Hermione tense above him. 

“Too hard?”  He asked.

Hermione didn’t respond.  Instead, her hands traveled downward, underneath Seamus’ boxers.  He moaned softly as he felt one of her hands close around his length. Gently, she massaged him up and down.  Soon, he found himself without boxers.  Seamus decided that two could play that game.  Waiting until she had released him, Seamus gingerly directed Hermione off of him.  With her now lying on her back, he drew himself into a half-lying, half seated position and returned the favor.  “You sure you want this?”  He asked between kisses.  He felt Hermione shudder.

“Yes.”  She whispered.

Seamus got up and walked to his dresser.  After opening it, his heart sank.  “Hermione, we can’t.”

“Why not?”  Hermione asked.

“It’s a bit embarrassing.  They’ve expired.”  Seamus could crawl in a hole right now.  _All this for nothing._ He thought.

“Your condoms?”  Hermione asked.

“Yes.”  Seamus said internally cringing.

Hermione smirked, “You too huh?” 

“Hmm?”  Seamus asked.

“Dry spell.”  Hermione grinned.  “Fortunately, Luna insisted I take this tonight.”  She produced a single condom.  “Seemed to think I would need it.”

Seamus could’ve hugged Luna.  As it was, he very gratefully accepted the offered condom. “I might need a minute first.” He motioned downward.

"I think we can fix that."  Hermione laughed as she tugged him back onto the bed and the two resumed where they had left off.

~

Four am saw the two collapsed and cuddled together in the middle of Seamus’ bed.  “So, you might be stuck with me for a bit.”  Seamus was whispering contentedly, as he brushed a strand of hair from Hermione’s face.

Hermione smiled.  “I’m looking forward to it.”

A faint smile traced itself across Seamus’ face.  “Here’s looking at you, Kid.”  He mumbled sleepily.  Hermione carefully snuggled against him as they finally fell asleep.


End file.
